Block Leave: Wisconsin & Minnesota

In preparation for deployment, Josh was allowed two weeks leave to do with as he wished.  We decided to head north and catch up with family.  Our first stop was Wisconsin to visit with Josh's brother Caleb and his family.  We hadn't seen them since before Christmas and were eager to see everyone.

hiking in wisconsin

playing with cousin Talia

hanging out with daddy

We didn't have much of an agenda and spent the first few days just hanging around the house and chatting.  I love this kind of time with them because I feel like we rarely get to do that and we could just talk for hours.  On Tuesday we got to go into our niece's classroom and speak.  She had told her teacher that her Uncle had traveled around Africa and then asked him to come in and share.  It was so much fun to take a walk down memory lane so to speak and watch the kids reactions to the pictures.

big girl at the counter

Like father like daughter

The rest of the week was just dedicated to family time.  Josh's parents were passing through so we got to see them again as well as his brother, Arne.  I loved watching Mara interact with her cousins.  Now that she's a little older (than the last time we visited) she could play a little more.  I could tell she really loved just watching them especially Talia, who is closest to her age.  I can't wait till Mara's a little older and they can really get into trouble together! :)

Helping Papa

loving on Ginger

Ginger loved her too

I think at one point Mara was chewing on her tail

After a week in Wisconsin we headed up to Minnesota for a weekend with Josh's sister Aimee and her family.  They had never met Mara so we were excited to introduce her and just spend some quality time with them.

Our weekend in Minnesota was a little more fast paced than Wisconsin.  We went rock climbing.  Our niece Taryn went to prom.  The adults got a little alone time out at a local pub and we celebrated Mother's day with some ice cream at Coldstone's.

Dana conquering the wall

Josh made it too!

Again Mara seemed to love all the commotion and being in the center of attention.  We were so happy that in their busy schedule we were able to find a weekend to spend together.  I love being able to pick my sister-in-law's brain about parenting.  They have four kids and she is just a wealth of information.  I'm so grateful that she's always willing to share her experiences!  I can't wait till we can get together again!

Taryn looked beautiful

the group ready for prom